


The Duet

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Duet, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Music, Piano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25175569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: Charley discovers a piano in the TARDIS and the Doctor volunteers himself as her duet partner.
Relationships: Eighth Doctor & Charley Pollard
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	The Duet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bravest_person_in_Wonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravest_person_in_Wonderland/gifts).



> The idea for this fic is entirely credited to bravest_person_in_Wonderland, to whom this fic is gifted. As soon as she mentioned it I just knew I had to write it because I'm a music nerd! 
> 
> Enjoy! :D

Charley beamed when she found the grand piano.

It wasn’t hidden, exactly, but it lay deep within the maze of corridors in the TARDIS. The more she’d come to realise just how big the TARDIS was (“Infinite!” the Doctor had told her, but she hadn’t been able to picture it), the more she’d been wanting to explore. And when the Doctor had started singing opera at the top of his lungs while tinkering with the TARDIS console, she'd figured it was just the right time to act on her curiosity.

Up until this point Charley had found some rather interesting things—a garden, a swimming pool, some bedrooms that strangely seemed to look like people had been living in them only a day before, an aquarium, an art gallery, a squash court, and a room filled with nothing but multicoloured scarves—just to name a few. She hadn’t stayed long in any one place, but when she saw the piano situated on top of an elegant black and scarlet patterned rug, she entered into the room and heard the door close automatically behind her.

The bulb of a lamp in the corner of the room flickered to life, casting a glow on the piano and shading the rest of the room in shadow. The back wall was covered from floor to ceiling in shelves. As Charley stepped closer, she identified thick folders pressed together which she assumed were filled with sheet music. She considered searching for a piece she was familiar with, but the folders didn’t seem to be labelled.

It was a good thing that her music teacher, M. Durand, had drilled into her that memorisation was important, however much she had protested. And despite the fact that she hadn’t played in months, she knew for sure that she still had her favourite piece memorised.

Charley sat down on the piano bench and stretched her fingers. The piano was made of some kind of wood she couldn’t identify; the colour was a deep reddish-brown, unlike any piano she had ever seen before. The ivory keys shone in the lamplight. The instrument was almost too beautiful to even think of playing. After a moment of debate, Charley reached out and gently tapped middle C. The note rang out perfectly in tune and echoed within the small space.

Charley smiled, encouraged by the beautiful sound of the single note. She positioned her hands, took a deep breath, and began. Her fingers easily remembered where to go without thought and her foot instinctively pressed the pedal at just the right moments. She quickly became lost in the enjoyment of the dark, haunting melody, emphasising the recurring motif that she loved.

Halfway through the first movement, the Doctor entered the room.

Charley stopped abruptly as the Doctor raised an eyebrow. “I thought I heard _Fantasia in F Minor.”_ He frowned. “It’s for four hands, you know.”

“Of course I know, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve only got two.” She sighed. “I always loved this duet, but Peggy and Sissy would never play it with me. They said it was too gloomy.”

“Well luckily, I happen to be a big fan of Schubert.” He walked around the piano to stand next to her and Charley stared at him.

“Don’t tell me you actually know it?”

“Of course I do.” He nodded at her. “Go on, make room.”

Charley shook her head. How was it that he could do _everything?_

She slid to the edge of the bench, allowing the Doctor to sit beside her. His hip pressed against hers as he settled onto the seat. He poised his hands over the keys. “Are you ready?” He turned his head to meet her gaze and Charley found herself momentarily distracted by how close he was.

“Y-Yes.” She looked back at the piano and readied herself for her first notes. If she remembered correctly from the few times M. Durand had played with her, she didn’t come in until the second measure. “Yes, I’m ready.”

The Doctor began at an even, steady pace, though still quick enough for the allegro that the movement called for. Charley joined in with the eerie, repetitive melody and found herself even more engrossed than before with the second part added. The Doctor leaned his body back and forth in time with the intensity of his part, every note perfect and in time.

Charley met his excellence, not missing a single note. She had practised this song countless times and could play it with her eyes closed.

There was something inexplicable about playing a duet with someone you trusted completely. Charley had rarely ever experienced it in her life, but now with the Doctor as her partner, it was like they shared the same mind. Rubato happened in sync, changes in style were transitioned into flawlessly. Dynamics were executed with precision; when it came to the forte sections that mainly relied on the second part, the Doctor slammed his fingers harshly onto the keys. Yet when he transferred to pianissimo, his touch was as light as a feather.

This time, the song was more than just simple music. It was a song of _them,_ telling of adventure, loss, excitement, sadness, and untold journeys to come. By the time they reached the end of the Allegro movement, they were both panting with exertion. The final chord faded into silence, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

“Charley, I didn’t know you played so well.” The Doctor turned to look at her in wonder, stray hairs plastered to his forehead. “I haven’t played that duet with someone who knows it so well since Schubert himself.”

“Since—you _knew_ him? Oh, of course you did,” she muttered. “I’ve never played a duet like that either.” She smiled. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You’re very welcome.” He cracked his knuckles and stretched out his fingers. “Shall we go on to the next movement?”

“Why not?” Charley turned back to the keys, recalling the piece to mind.

“We start together on this one.” The Doctor paused as he readied himself. “One, two, three, four…”

And they continued on, losing track of time as they performed the duets that Charley had always played alone. She smiled to herself in the middle of it all, thinking to herself that she’d never have to play by herself ever again.


End file.
